The two leaders hope that the deportation flights will begin this spring
April 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, met this Tuesday with the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, to talk about the current status of the draft law for the migration agreement signed with Kigali, which is currently being debated in Parliament and whose star measure is the deportation of asylum seekers.
“(Sunak and Kagame) have spoken of the pioneering Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the United Kingdom and Rwanda, which will end the business model of criminal gangs who risk lives at sea, and the Prime Minister has updated the president on the next phases of legislation in Parliament,” reads a statement from the British Prime Minister's office.
Likewise, both leaders have expressed their confidence that the deportation flights will begin this spring despite the 'in extremis' stoppage ordered in June by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and a firm rejection by the British Supreme Court of mid-November.
In fact, Sunak has already hinted that he is prepared to request the country's withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the event that the Strasbourg Court blocks the bill.
“I think all the plans comply with our international obligations, including the ECHR, but I think border security and making sure we can control illegal migration is more important than being a member of a foreign court, because it is fundamental to our sovereignty as a country “Sunak declared last week.
Several Conservative MPs have previously pushed for Britain to leave the convention, fearing its provisions would prevent the deportation of asylum seekers, while Sunak has resisted defying the court's orders. Other more moderate deputies have warned against the possibility of abandoning the document, in force since 1953.
The initiative, which is being processed in Parliament, dates back to the time of Boris Johnson in Downing Street, but has not been launched after a stoppage ordered by the ECtHR and a firm rejection by the British Supreme Court. The Conservative government of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has tried to resolve legal concerns by signing a new treaty with Rwanda.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned that the British Government's plan to deport irregular migrants to Rwanda represents a violation of “vital human rights protections” and is “contrary to the basic principles of the Rule of law”.
